


please, stay?

by kittymannequin



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:16:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24221188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittymannequin/pseuds/kittymannequin
Summary: post s5, little snippets here and there.might get updated, might not.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 65
Kudos: 473





	1. Chapter 1

“Don’t you get it? I love you.”

The words come out as clear as the crystal colours surrounding them, loud and strong and so, _so_ desperate, that for a moment, Catra worries Adora didn’t even hear them.

“I always have.” 

No holds barred, Catra’s soul is out there now, finally, everything she’s been holding on to for so damn long, everything she’s wanted to say - it’s finally out. Tears sting at her eyes, almost spilling over, but she doesn’t hesitate anymore, not now, not ever again. Not when everything she’s ever truly wanted is just a breath away, and yet - she could lose it any moment now. When she calls out to Adora once more, her voice breaks, but she stretches out, reaching for the girl she’s loved for as long as she can remember.

“So please, just this once…” Catra trails off for no longer than a moment. And then, their hands finally touch, palms clasped together, and there are no more unspoken words between them. “Stay.” 

Adora stares up at her, their eyes searching one another, and Catra pulls her into her arms, her embrace tight and all-encompassing as she leans into Adora, ear pressed to her chest, the word _‘Stay’_ murmured quiet and needy against the steady, wild beat of Adora’s heart.

She-Ra’s shield flickers behind her, protecting her from the painful rays around them, and Adora finally comes to, staring, dazed and.. And a little lost, mouth opening once, twice, until quiet, hopeful words slip past her lips.

“You love me?” 

_Wow,_ Catra thinks to herself, unable to stop the chuckle that slips past her lips even in this deep, heavy moment. “You’re such an idiot.” She says, cheeks burning as her eyes settle on Adora’s own and her lips spread in that goofy smirk she’s caught Adora staring at more than a handful of times. 

And then, Adora smiles at her. A smile she hasn’t seen in a long time, one she knows, deep in her soul, means exactly what she’s always hoped would mean. 

_She wants me. She.. does._

“I love you too.” 

Those words are all the confirmation Catra needs, before she smiles at her again, her hands come to rest on Adora’s face, palms soft against her cheeks. She leans in, eyes never leaving Adora’s until her eyelids flutter shut at the first press of her lips against Adora’s own.

She feels warm. 

Brilliant, radiant, shining. 

She feels She-Ra’s energy course through her, much like she can feel Adora’s wild heartbeat or the way Adora’s tugging on her shirt, holding her close.

But one feeling is stronger than all of them combined, and Catra finally has a word for it. 

Love.


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> im having a super emotional catradora night tonight and here's a lil sth i cooked up literally 2 minutes ago, idk, i just had some fluff in mind (with a bit of insecurities peppered in there), hope u like it

With her bare feet pressed to the grass below - newly grown grass, thanks to She-Ra - Catra can’t really keep her mind from wandering. 

_ We’re alive. And she.. She.. Adora loves me? She wants me?  _

She doesn’t have a chance to let it wander any further before Adora’s hand slips into her own and Adora’s smiling face comes into view not a moment later, almost startling Catra from her musings. 

“Hey you.” Adora murmurs, stepping closer. “You doing okay?” 

Catra only nods in response, ducking her head shily when she catches Scorpia’s eyes on them, followed by Perfuma’s big smile coming into view. Ducking party behind Adora’s figure, she leans into her, humming. 

“Everyone’s staring at us.”

“Mhm.” 

“And you don’t mind?” 

Adora shifts then, her hands coming to rest on Catra’s hips as she comes to face her.

“No, I don’t.” She says, voice unwavering and eyes set on Catra’s own. “But if you do, I’ll ask them not to.” 

“Please, as if any of them would actually listen to you.” Catra teases, wrapping her tail around Adora’s left wrist and stepping closer until they’re but a breath away from one another. “I just…”

“What’s wrong?” 

“There’s a lot we need to talk about.” Catra murmurs, leaning into Adora until their foreheads are pressed together, just like they were merely minutes ago, when everything had finally finished. “I.. If this isn’t something you really want, if you just said what you said down there because it was, I don’t know, a spur of the moment kind of th-”

“Stop it.” Adora says then, her voice a fair bit sharper than Catra knows it to usually be. A second later Adora’s hand leave Catra’s hips and she cups her face, tender yet sure, and stares into her eyes, deep and unwavering gaze saying more than words could. “I love you.” She says then, and even though Catra can see it in her eyes, hearing it is like a blanket of warmth settles around her heart. “I always have.” Adora adds before her lips meet Catra’s and she kisses her, one short little peck followed by a deeper kiss. When she pulls back, Adora’s cheeks are flushed and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, thumb softly grazing over Catra’s cheek. “You mean so much to me, Catra. I.. I’m not letting you go anymore.” 

All Catra can offer is a small nod, as she swallows the lump in her throat and her eyes begin to sting with unshed tears. She seems to have started crying a lot more since she’s been back with Adora but, for the first time in her life, she doesn’t mind it at all. Feeling things is.. Good. Better. 

“We still need to talk but, I’m not letting go either.” Catra murmurs, smiling at Adora. 

“You’d better not. ‘Cause I’ll bring out She-Ra to make sure you stay right here. With me.” 

Catra chuckles then, a wet, satisfying laugh spilling past her lips as she swats at Adora’s shoulder.

“You’re a dummy, you know?” 

“Your dummy?” There’s a faint bit of uncertainty in Adora’s eyes, but it’s gone the second Catra smiles at her. 

“Mine.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come say hi on tumblr?


	3. chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gays can have a little more fluff  
> as a treat

There’s an unmistakable, almost palpable tension in the air when the rush of their victory finally begins to die down and adrenaline is all but gone. 

Movement about the camp had been rushed, everyone eager to set up a little spot for them all to _finally_ get their much needed and deserved rest, while others rounded up the remaining clones and helped them with the initial adjustment period of existing without the hive mind. With Horde Prime gone, everything felt chaotic, unknown and frightening, and even Catra could feel the eerieness of having something like that just - gone. Perished from existence, when it had once been an almost vital part of her. 

Still, Catra felt relief more than she felt anything else, with Prime gone. 

She shuffled around the large campsite slowly, her body, mind and soul tired from everything that had happened in the past few hours, but every once in a while she’d glance around the camp, until she’d find the familiar sight of a blonde girl somewhere in the distance. She always had eyes for Adora only, always searching, always hoping she’d be somewhere there, somewhere in sight.

Somewhere close.

Now that they were finally together again, Catra found it hard to look away, even for a few minutes, consumed by the fear that, if she blinked for too long, Adora would be gone. With the way Adora would always look up and meet her eyes, the way her lips spread in that warm, soft smile before she went back to whatever it is that she was doing, Catra knew Adora felt the same way. They finally had each other and they weren’t about to let go.

“H-hey, Catra.” 

It was Scorpia’s voice that pulled her out of her musings and she tore her eyes away from Adora, much to the sudden pull in her heartstrings.

“Scorpia, hey.” Catra’s voice was soft, unlike many other times they’d talked. “How are you holding up?” 

“Oh, I’m okay, yeah! I’m good, no damage, no scratches, just, you know..” 

Catra nodded, knowing full well what Scorpia was referring to. Even if the place where the chip was had been empty for a while now, Catra could still feel the discomfort of the foreign object.

“Yeah, I know.” She added, bringing a hand to the back of her neck and rubbing the small, soft hairs there, just above the metal still embedded in her skin. “D-does it hurt?”

“Oh!” Scorpia jumped a little, her eyes lightning up somewhat. “No, not at all! Perfuma actually had some sort of odd, soothing oil she wanted to rub around it and uh, I figured it couldn’t hurt to let her put it around it?” 

Catra raised an eyebrow, intrigued even more when Scorpia’s cheeks turned a shade deeper. 

“It gets better.” She mumbled, glancing to the floor. “Scorpia, I-”

“Catra, hey.” Scorpia took a step closer, coming to stand in front of Catra. “I get it.”

“No.” Catra murmured, hugging herself. “I’m sorry. I really, really am sorry.” She continued before looking up to meet Scorpia’s eyes. “I was a really bad friend to you. And I know it’s gonna take some time, but, uh, I hope we can be friends again.” 

“Hey.” Scorpia started, reaching over and opening her arms - pincers? claws? Catra couldn’t make up her mind - and smiling at Catra. “We never stopped being friends.” 

Catra could feel the sting of tears at the edges of her eyes and she stood there, for a moment, just letting Scorpia’s words sink in before finally stepping in and letting the taller woman embrace her in a warm, strong yet soft hug. There was much to be talked about still, but this was a good start, and Catra was happy she got to have that. 

They separated with warm cheeks and teary eyes when Scorpia heard Perfuma calling her name and rushed to help her with another tent that needed to be set up. Catra watched the spring in her step and the way she smiled so wide and open to Perfuma, it made perfect sense that the two of them would, if nothing else, be drawn to one another. 

From the corner of her eyes she caught sight of Adora approaching and she wiped at her eyes, sniffling a little when she felt a soft hand settle on her arm. 

“Hey you.”

“Hey, Adora.” She murmured and turned on her heels, her hand immediately falling into Adora’s own, fingers lacing together. “All settled okay?” 

“Mhm.” Adora hummed, tracing her thumb over the back of Catra’s hand. “There’s still a few more things that need to be set u-”

“I’m sure the others can take care of it.” Catra said, tilting her head slightly and giving Adora that little smile she knows Adora simply cannot look away from. “You need rest too, Adora. More than anyone.” 

“I- I know.” With a nod, Adora tugged on Catra’s hand, leading them towards her own tent. They’d set it up first, Catra intent on getting Adora to rest, but it had been practically impossible to drag her away from helping at least a little with setting everything up.

It was second nature, stepping inside and pulling the cots closer together, while simultaneously shying away from one another with their cheeks pleasantly warm and a childing sort of joy in their chest. 

Catra was the first to settle down on her own cot, pulling the soft blanket over her legs and throwing it over Adora’s side, staring up at her in anticipation. When Adora finally joined her, tired muscles aching to get some well-deserved rest, she stumbled for a moment but Catra caught her immediately, wrapping her hands protectively around Adora and tugging her into her arms. 

“I’ve got you.” She murmured, laying down and letting Adora rest her head on her shoulder, while she pulled the blanket up to their middle. “I’m here.” 

Exhaustion had taken a strong hold over Adora, but she still managed to slip her arm around Catra’s waist. Pulling herself as close to her as physically possible, nosing a particularly soft spot on her neck, Adora hummed when Catra chuckled softly, only to pull her closer. She looked up from Catra’s shoulder, a mess of joy, wonder and enervation in her eyes. 

“Me too.” She murmured, letting her head fall back to its safe spot, where she could press her lips to Catra’s neck and feel her heartbeat, strong and steady. It calmed her, more than anything could. 

It wasn’t long before Catra felt the soft, even puffs of breath against her neck as Adora finally fell asleep, after what felt like an eternity. She looked up, for a moment wishing they were back in the Fright Zone, for no other reason than to just be able to see the night sky. It was awful there, but if nothing else, they managed to find what little beauty there was in the quiet of the night. But she wouldn’t change this for anything in the universe. 

Right there, in the middle of a flower-covered field, with everyone she cared about around them and with Adora in her arms, Catra felt more at home than ever before. It was a warm feeling, deep and comforting, and Catra wondered how she’d managed to go without something so good for so long. 

But now that she finally had it… She wasn’t letting go.

Not again, not ever.

*******************************


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> catra's getting used to her new place of residence

“I’m never gonna get used to this place, am I?” 

_ “You might?”  _

With a small scoff, Catra hops off the large windowsill, rubbing the top of Melog’s head and giving a soft scratch behind their ear. 

“We’ll see about that.” 

Melog purrs and bops their head against her thigh lovingly, their purr settling as gentle, comforting warmth around her heart. She crouches down, bringing both hands to cup that soft, gentle head and presses her forehead to Melog’s. 

_ “You feel safe here.”  _

She huffs, but doesn’t move, instead leaning against Melog with a soft purr of her own. 

She does, indeed, feel safe here. 

Brightmoon may not be her top choice for a place of residence, all bright and  _ pink _ and more often than not filled with princess giggles and murmurs and wary side glances from guards but - it’s as close to feeling safe as it gets. 

Comfort, however.. It’ll take a little longer to get there. 

The floors are too smooth for her feet, the walls so tall and imposing, colours all bright and gleaming and shiny, and there’s the perpetual feeling of being watched whenever she walks down the halls. Even when she’s not alone, Catra has a feeling that there’s always a pair of eyes either following her or glancing in her direction. 

It had taken almost a week for the guards to get completely used to her presence there, but a few still flinch, just slightly, when she passes them by. 

She’s heard the stories they told, about the cat-girl responsible for so many bad things, the girl whose actions lead to the previous Queen’s demise, the one who now walks their halls freely, sleeps in a room in their castle, eats with their current Queen. It stung, hearing it for the first time, and Catra barely managed to stop herself from lashing out at the young girl in her oversized armor, shakily stepping out of her way after Catra had accidentally walked in on their not-so-subtle conversation about her. It took all of her composure to not even glance in their direction and walk past them, the icy grip of their gaze following her even when she stumbled through the door of her room and onto her bed. 

Her all-too-comfortable bed, in her oversized room. 

But it’s gotten better since then.  _ Day by day _ , Catra tells herself, over and over again.

There’s a noise in the distance that causes her ear to twitch and both Melog and her immediately glance to where it’s coming from. It’s not even a second later that a familiar scent hits them and Catra finds herself already turning to look at the person about to emerge from around the corner.

“Catra.” 

She’ll never get tired of hearing her name fall from Adora’s lips. Never.

“Hey, Adora.” 

Melog immediately bounds over to her girlfriend - another change Catra’s still getting used to - and bops their head against her thigh, walking around her and purring as they sit down next to Adora, who smiles at the gesture, rubbing behind their ears softly. 

“So this is where you two have been hiding.” 

Catra shrugs, making her way over. Adora reaches out before she’s even close, and Catra takes her hand, soft and warm in her own, lacing their fingers and leaning into her beside Melog. 

“Just needed to get away for a bit.”

“I know.” Adora murmurs, giving a soft squeeze of her hand. “I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself.” 

Catra chuckles, ducking her head shily.

“Perfuma’s teachings must be rubbing off on me.” 

“Good.”

_ “This one’s teachings are also rubbing off on you.”  _ Melog supplies, their head nuzzled against Adora’s thigh. 

Catra gives them a small, barely serious glare, before looking back to Adora and tugging on her hand softly. 

“I.. I missed you.” She murmurs, tilting her head slightly.

Adora smiles, reaching over with her other hand and taking hold of the front of Catra’s shirt, tugging her closer until they’re merely a couple of inches apart. Her gaze follows the curve of Catra’s cheeks, down the slope of her nose, lingering for a moment, two, three on her lips, before she meets her eyes again. 

Catra can’t stop the small shiver that slithers down her spine at the look in Adora’s eyes. For a moment Catra catches the change of colour in Melog’s mane, a soft blue shifting into a warm pink.

“I missed you too.” 

Adora’s words come out as a small, hushed murmur, before she tugs her all the way into a tender, easy kiss. The kind that Catra’s growing to love the most.

When they separate, Adora rests her forehead against Catra’s, her lips spread in a smile, and her hand soft and steady on Catra’s waist. They breathe each other in for a few moments, simply basking in each other’s presence, before Melog’s small  _ mrrrrrp  _ disrupts the silence. 

Catra presses a peck to Adora’s nose and takes her hand again, stepping around her just as Perfuma and Scorpia come bounding around the corner.

“Oh, Catra, Adora, we were just heading to the dining room to get some dinner, are you coming?” Scorpia asks as they come to a stop in front of them. “There’s gonna be some of the delicious salad Perfuma taught them how to make!” An adorable blush forms on Scorpia’s cheeks, one must alike Perfuma’s own. 

Catra and Adora share a small smirk at the looks of the other two, before they lace their fingers together again and Melog rushes over to Scorpia, jumping up and into her arms, his  _ mrrrpp _ s loud enough to echo through the large hallway. 

“We could use some dinner, yeah?” Adora nudges Catra’s shoulder with her own, squeezing her hand softly.

“Only if I don’t have to eat any more green stuff.” 

Perfuma immediately gasps, but Catra’s chuckle is reassuring enough for her expression to change into her usual, soft one. 

“Fine, guess I’ll eat a leaf or two.”

Adora laughs then and Catra thinks that maybe getting comfortable won’t take as long as she initially thought. Maybe it won’t even be that hard. 

Nothing is, with Adora around.


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> trauma is not an easy thing to deal with, and sometimes, it stays with us much longer than we'd ever want it to.

Catra wakes up with a start.

Hands flying up, chest heaving, cold sweat trickling down her back and the side of her head, her throat feeling tight, as if there’s something on it, something that’s stopping her from breathing, something that she cannot rid herself of. 

Adora’s voice echos in her head, calling out to her, saying her name over and over until her eyes snap to the side and she sees Adora’s worried face, the way she’s sitting with one hand on Catra’s shoulder and another on her thigh, quiet and wringing her lip between her teeth.

Catra simply sits there for a few moments, breathing heavily as she lets her hands fall to her lap, still shaking, staring down at them and trying, desperately, to calm her wildly beating heart. It seems futile.

“S-sorry.” She mumbles out, pushing that practiced sheepish smile on her face as she looks to Adora again. The look of worry is still there and Catra immediately drops the ruse even though she knows Adora can read her better than that, sighing and bringing her hands up to rub at her eyes. “You’re never gonna get any sleep with me here.”

She feels more than hears Adora move closer, the hand on her shoulder slips to the back of her head and the comforting scratches begin, while Adora gives her a little squeeze with the hand still set on her thigh.

“I wouldn’t want you anywhere else.”

It’s quiet, murmured just barely above a whisper, but it’s just loud enough for Catra’s heart to make a little skip at the reassurance, just a little twitch faster again, but not rushing like it has mere minutes ago. It warms her chest, tender and soft, a comfortable weight that weighs nothing but seems to, instead, burrow under her ribs, like a warm little night light for her heart. 

“Thank you.” Catra hums, leaning into her. 

Silence envelops them, calm and soothing, and they move to settle back down, lulled by the quiet of the night. They face each other and Catra moves closer, burrowing herself under Adora’s chin, purring when she feels the weight of Adora’s arm settle on her waist. 

“Do you..” Adora hesitates, but Catra wraps her arm around her and brings her closer still, to the point there’s no space left between them. It’s enough of an encouragement. “Do you want to tell me about them?” 

A soft nod is the answer Adora gets. She wraps her arm tighter around Catra, loving the gentle purrs that vibrate against her chest, and presses a small kiss to her hair. “Take your time.” She murmurs, drawing little circles at the small of Catra’s back. 

It takes a little while, the silence comfortable and warm, but eventually, Catra’s hold on her waist tightens and Adora feels the shaky sigh that escapes Catra’s lips.

“They always start out the same.” Catra says, her voice somewhat muffled. “Tthere’s always endless, dark corridors, wherever I look. Walls stretching as far as the eye can see, no doors, windows, rooms. Just… empty hallways.” 

Adora hums in response and Catra wiggles a little in her hold, tilting her head up and repositioning until she’s face to face with Adora. There’s the same worry in her eyes but there’s so much more, too. Care, tenderness, love. It’s the reassurance Catra needs to brave on.

“The hallways are always dark and it seems to stretch on until a light appears, way up ahead.” Adora nods and Catra has to take a steadying breath to continue. “I just blink and then I’m there. ‘Cause, you know, dreams?” Another nod from Adora, this one with a soft smile. “But it’s like I’m pushed in the light when I get close to it, like something behind me is just… forcing me forward. It’s not light, not really. It’s a room… The one back on Horde Prime’s ship.” 

When she says those words, Catra feels almost an icy grip around her throat and she stops speaking, her hearting speeding up with fright. She takes a few deep breaths and feels Adora’s hand settle on her shoulder, the little lines she draws with her finger grounding enough for her to focus again. 

“I’m okay.” Catra murmurs. “I, uh.. I see the clones again, everywhere I look just, thousands of them. Staring at me, quiet, indifferent… Empty.” 

Adora moves her hand to Catra’s hair then, settling it softly at the back of her head and scratching, ever so softly. It’s a tender touch that helps her push through the coldness she feels almost envelop her when the images of clones reappear in her mind. 

“I move again, something pushes me towards the pool in the middle of the chamber and I-” Her voice breaks then and without realizing, Catra cries out. It’s barely audible, a sob so tender and small, one she didn’t even feel coming but one she can’t stop. 

Adora’s quick to shift closer, until her forehead presses against Catra’s own, and their breaths begin to mingle. For the time being, they stay like that, close together and taking one another in, until Catra’s breathing begins to even out again.

“Whatever I do I can’t move on my own, can’t even lift my hand, can’t look away. I don’t have control over my body.” Catra continues, voice still shaky. “I just see myself step into the pool, deeper and deeper, until the green is up to my throat and Horde Prime…”

Adora presses a gentle kiss to her forehead then, the hand at the back of her head softly moving to scratch behind Catra’s ear. It’s the most soothing thing she could be doing and Catra appreciates it, more than anything. She takes in another deep breath and slips her hand from Adora’s waist, grasping for her t-shirt and clinging to it. 

“H-he just stands there, laughing. Tells me all creatures must suffer to be pure in his light as I begin to drown.” Her voice breaks again and she feels tears forming, the tightness in her throat as she speaks again. “The lightning crackles around me and I can see the way out but I can’t reach it, no matter how much I flail around it’s always just outside my reach and it hurts, Adora, it hurts so much!” 

“Shhhh,” Adora hums, pressing the softest of little kisses to Catra’s forehead. “I know, I know.” She adds, leaning back to look at Catra. “I know it hurts.” She brings her hand closer to wipe away the tears on Catra’s cheeks, fingers swiping softly below her eye. “It will never hurt again, I promise. You’re safe here. I’ve got you.” 

Catra cries out, shifting closer and burrowing into her again, head tucked against Adora’s shoulder, hands clinging onto her, legs pulled. She’s the smallest Adora’s ever seen her and all she wants is for Catra to never,  _ ever _ feel anything like that ever again. She wraps her arms around her and brings her even closer, humming and pressing tender kisses to her hair. 

“I’m here, Catra. I’ve got you.” 

Catra’s sobs begin to quiet down after a little while, only quiet little whimpers remain in their wake. Adora still holds her tight, still presses little kisses here and there, still hums and murmurs soft words and hushed little sweet things to ease her through it.

“Sometimes I think I can still hear his voice in my head.” Catra mumbles at some point, nose pressed close to Adora’s neck. “I worry I always will.” 

“Maybe.” Adora hums, tilting her head to press a soft little kiss to Catra’s forehead. “If you do, I’ll be here to hold you through it. You’ll never be alone.” 

“You promise?” 

“I promise.” 

Catra presses a kiss to her neck then, a teasy little peck that precedes a soft nibble, a little bit of redness left there when she kisses it one more time. She revels in Adora’s hushed chuckle and the way her heartbeat picks up at that, but she tucks herself close again, arm wrapping around Adora’s waist again as sleep finally begins to nudge at her eyes again. 

“I’m tired.” She huffs, yawning.

“Sleep some more.” Adora hums, one arm wrapped around Catra, the other resting on her waist. “It’s still early.”

“Mmm.. You too?” 

A quiet chuckle is the only response Catra hears before her eyes begin to feel far too heavy and her breathing evens out, soft, hushed rumbles of her purring vibrating against Adora’s chest. 

Adora stays awake for a little while longer, holding her close and simply taking in the sound of her breathing. It’s even, as it should be. 

Steady… and strong. 

**Author's Note:**

> 'catradora - search on spotify :)  
> come say hi on tumblr @kittymannequin?


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